Abramson Enjoys Teaching Youngsters To Swim
By Eric Fish

Amelia Musser (left) and Grand Hotel lifeguard Ashley Abramson take a break from a Tuesday, July 31, lesson to play a game of Marco Polo.

Ashley Abramson is the head lifeguard at Grand Hotel's swimming pool, in her second season of teaching swimming lessons to Island children.

"It's a lot of fun," she said of giving lessons. "I like to do them for the Island kids because they don't have an opportunity to learn swimming anywhere. The lake is cold, and not really a good place to learn to swim, and there are not many pools on the Island. I really like giving those kids that live here year-around the opportunity to get to swim and learn how to swim, and see them swim safely."

Miss Abramson has been a lifeguard for the past five summers, beginning in her hometown of St. Clair, where she swam competitively in high school. Here, she teaches morning sessions with children from age two to 12.

"With my younger kids, I just teach them about getting used to the water, getting their face wet, being able to be more comfortable in it," she said.

Older children learn more advanced swimming strokes, like the breast stroke and butterfly.

"I always like to start off with a little safety thing," she said. "Water safety is important, along with how to swim."

The children enjoy the classes, which include games, and she encourages them to come to the pool often and practice what they have been taught.

She enjoys the lessons, too, and finds they are a nice break from her daily routine, which mostly involves monitoring and working with adults.

With the children, she said, "I get to have fun and goof around. I'm still really a big kid, too. "Kids are just funny," she said. "I just find them so entertaining."

Later this month, she will return to her studies at Michigan State University.